Fernando Alonso Pictured Testing At Barcelona

This photo shows Fernando Alonso at the Barcelona formula 1 track. It was taken during the testing event in late february 2008.

Australian Grand Prix Press Conference From Friday

Drivers: Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso F1), Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India F1), Timo Glock (Toyota F1), Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren F1), Nelson Piquet Jr (Renault F1), Mark Webber (Red Bull F1)

Q: For most of you, apart from Mark, there is something new, something different about today. Perhaps you would like to go through and tell us what it is.
Sebastien Bourdais: Well, there are a lot of new things for me this year. The first one obviously is the new track and there are a lot of things to learn and this morning was good. We took it step-by-step and in practice the discovery was quite nice. In the meantime the track was changing very quickly from very green to something better. It seemed like it was going to do the same thing this afternoon but I think we did not have the same luck as in the morning. We had very little running so not so much to talk about this afternoon.

Q: Nelson?
Nelson Piquet Jr: It was great also for me discovering the track little by little. It is much more different inside the car than walking around the track. It is much bumpier, but it was great. It is not an easy track and unfortunately also I didn’t get any running really and had a few little problems until the last 10 minutes, so I got a little running but I am happy. Things are going not as we planned but it is a start and I look forward to tomorrow.

Q: A big difference to testing surely?
NP: Yeah, much less running. Testing is much tougher but I think it is getting used to everything. The first time I went out there was a little pressure but I got used to it. It is good to be here and I hope everything works out better.

Q: Timo, into the big-time for you?
Timo Glock: Yes. It was a quiet session but overall the day was not too bad, I would say. It was a good feeling to be back in the car and not to have the same problems as we had in Barcelona at the last test. It was quite difficult at this test but today felt better and I just tried to get up to speed and get the car in the right balance. It is still difficult and overall the track changes quite a lot, but in the end it was okay. I still have to learn stuff about the race weekend but at the moment it looks quite okay.

Q: Heikki, new team?
Heikki Kovalainen: A new team and I am very happy in my new team. It has been a very interesting time in my career all winter working with one of the best teams in Formula One and things have gone pretty well. I am getting used to the team and how they work. Communications is good and the car feels strong and good and driving is getting better. Today both sessions were pretty smooth, no big drama this time. I stayed on the track which is not too bad.

Q: Same for you Giancarlo, a new team as well.
Giancarlo Fisichella: Yeah, it is obviously not a new track for me. It is a new team, a new challenge and it looks very promising. We made a big step forward in the winter time and even here it is not too bad, so I am happy about the job done so far by the team, by myself. Of course we still have a lot of work to do. It is going to be tough.

Q: Mark, no change but a very good time. Having said that a very good position but 0.9 of-a-second behind the McLaren. Or do we not read too much into it?
Mark Webber: Fridays we always know it is not that important to read too much into it. The car is not working too bad. It is still not easy to get the consistency yet, but we will work on that tonight. I am still pretty happy with the car. The guys have done a pretty good job. We actually had a pretty smooth run and no reliability problems. We are in good shape really to start working on the car tonight and get it ready for qualifying. We are not second quickest, we are still fighting for points at the back of the points I believe, so we will see how tomorrow goes.

Q: What were you looking for after last year from the car ad from the team?
MW: Well, obviously the reliability was very poor last year and absolutely unacceptable having the failures that we had. This year the team has worked really hard on addressing that because that is the level where everyone is now. The reliability rate is impressive and we have to make sure that we are better than other teams if not equal. That was the biggest thing we were looking for and for sure we were looking for performance and we have done a pretty good job there but we still need to improve the car. These cars are very sensitive obviously and the conditions, it was a very hot track and very windy, a few corners were very very difficult to get consistency, so everyone is in the same boat.

Q: A message to the fans ahead of this weekend.
MW: We are off to a reasonable start. We shouldn’t expect that position tomorrow because there are different programmes going on today and we just decided to do that programme. I was surprised we didn’t end up a bit further down but that’s the way it went. Other people probably ran a bit more fuel but anyway we are going okay. We are chipping away with our programme and the reliability is the biggest thing for us. It is only Friday and if we are there at the end on Sunday with a good smooth race, we will score points, I am sure.

Q: Giancarlo, we saw a few dramas on the circuit today. It looked as though it was very difficult. Was it because of the green track, why was that?
GF: Yes, first of all the main problem was the wind. It was very windy today and it was very inconsistent lap by lap and corner by corner. It was quite unpredictable at the braking point and in the middle of the corner with the understeering. The circuit actually wasn’t too bad for a Friday but obviously tomorrow and especially on Sunday with much more rubber on the track life will be much better.

Q: It will be much more consistent do you think?
GF: Everything will be more consistent for sure, especially for the tyres. Today there was a lot of graining, so it was difficult to be consistent, especially on the soft tyres.

Q: Just to go to the car, the team. The car seemed to be very good straight out of the box, what do you think you can do this year?
GF: Well, first of all we have made a step forward especially with the new aero package. The next race we have another small step which is good, so the team is working very well, 24 hours a day in the wind tunnel. They are working on the 2009 car, it is a very good project and I am happy about that. Yeah, we need to work really hard as we are doing now and we can have the benefit in the future.

Q: Heikki, where do you feel your position is in the team? Do you feel you are number two or you are equal number one, where is your position?
HK: I get asked about this every single session. I always give the same answer and eventually the questions will stop. I feel equal number one, number two, however you want to put it. The fact is Lewis had a much better year than myself last year. He gets a lot more attention and he has been with the team a long time. It is pretty understandable that people follow him but the fact is that also my car is exactly the same spec as Lewis’s car. The engine is the same and I have exactly the same opportunity and that is what counts for me. We are absolutely equal and it is my job to do the business well enough to be able to beat him. That would be my goal but I still have many things to learn. There are a lot of things I need to do before I can talk about it too much, so it is better not to talk about it and let the business do the talking hopefully.

Q: Do you feel under any pressure?
HK: No, I feel pretty much more relaxed now than I felt previously in my career. Of course the team wants to be the best in Formula One. The motivation and the determination back in Woking with the group of people working for our team is very evident. Everyone wants to win the races, wants to win the championship, but like I said, I still have a lot of learning to do. I have not set a certain goal for myself this year. I will try to improve on my performances from last year and work with my crew well enough to be able to do good results.

Q: Timo, a very quick time in the last test session of Barcelona but you said there were also problems there.
TG: It was Jarno who did the quickest time in Barcelona and we had quite a lot of problems. The tyres did not work and Jarno had it a lot easier but overall the test was really positive as well with the long runs for Jarno. We had just a little too many problems on my car but in the end when I started back in the car today it felt much better than the last test in Barcelona. That’s important but Jarno has so much experience in the car and he is a hard guy to beat. I will try my best but for me it is maybe the same as for Heikki and I still have to learn more about the team and more about how you set up your car over the weekend. It is completely different to testing.

Q: Is it important to have an experienced driver alongside you?
TG: For me it is perfect because you can just look at what the other guy is doing and you can learn quite a lot from Jarno. He is really good in setting up the car and being really quick for one lap and it is good to have such a guy on your side.

Q: The same question for you Nelson…
NP: For sure it has been great for me to have Fernando back with us. Not only for me but also for the team and for what he brings to the team. The team needed it after not a very good year. It was not a very good car last year. Having Fernando back, the driver who made them champion twice, not only that but also for me, it is great to know that I have one of the quickest drivers on the grid next to me and be able to follow him, look at his data, listen to what he says, so sure, it is great. I think he is the partner I would choose from the whole grid to be next to me.

Q: Expand on this afternoon. What were the problems?
NP: We had to change the gearbox and we could not finish it until the middle of the second session, so we lost more than half of the session.

Q: Sebastien, has it been difficult to adjust to Formula One? Have you had to change much?
SB: Well, the car is obviously quite different from what I was used to. Champ cars are 200 kilos heavier, big slick tyres, the racing conditions in the States are obviously very different from what we experience here and the biggest thing is obviously the grooved tyres which you have to manage. So sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s very difficult. The consistency is usually the main thing, to get a grip on whatever’s going on, to determine whether it’s the track conditions changing or the tyres which make it very confusing sometimes. Yeah, there’s a little bit of adaptation but overall it’s been going very well. I’ve been very lucky that we had a lot of testing over the winter, something like 7000 kilometres, so now it feels like home but there’s still a lot to learn because there’s a lot of new tracks, a new organisation, a new qualifying format for me. It’s going to take a little bit of time but I think we have a great spirit in the team, a great sponsor with Red Bull and hopefully we can just put it all together and keep on stepping forwards.

Q: What are your feelings about the new car, which you’re not going to get for three or four races. How much of a step forward do you expect from that?
SB: That we can only know when we put it on the track, but for sure the situation is going to be a bit difficult. The closer we get to the transition point, the harder it’s going to be because our car is pretty much final since the Jerez test and obviously the 2008 versions keep evolving. We will continue to do that until we get our new car, so it is a pretty big challenge for us and we hope we can put it all together and transform it because the reliability of today wasn’t exactly what we were looking for but everybody’s working very hard and hopefully we can make it all happen.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Juha Paatalo – Financial Times Germany) Heikki, not only did you manage to stay on the track, as you said, but you also got some very good lap times. How much confidence are you taking with you for the rest of the weekend both personally and technically, and was it a kind of a re-setting of last year’s experience here?
HK: About the re-setting last year, I think I re-set it already last year, so coming into this weekend I wasn’t worried about last year, it’s all passed and there’s nothing I can do about it anymore other than trying to do a better job this time. Like I said, the sessions went pretty smoothly, I’m reasonably happy with the car, with both types of tyres. The lap times seem to be quite competitive, this is the way it should be. I’m looking forward to more competitive times and like Mark said, this early you just don’t know exactly where you are or where everybody is on Friday and after the practice sessions, so we need to wait and see, but I’m certainly taking positive confidence from today, and positive energy from today. I feel very good, I feel confident with the car, technically as well, I feel the set-up is OK, so I think we have a good base to work from for a successful weekend. On Sunday we will know how good it will be, but certainly it’s a good start for my weekend.

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) According to what you saw today, Heikki, who is your hardest competitor here: is it Lewis or Ferrari?
HK: I think that’s a difficult question to answer. I don’t know what the other teams were doing. Lewis, for sure, is strong, I’ve known that since the winter testing. He’s very confident and he already did a great job last year, so he will be there, there’s no doubt about that. Ferrari were strong here last year, they were strong all the way through the last year, so I’m sure they both will be there as well. But we should not under-estimate the other teams as well: BMW, Renault, Red Bull, Williams, all these guys can be there, so I don’t want to make too many predictions at the moment. Everybody is an opponent for me and I’m alert to anyone’s attack.

Q: (Will Buxton – Australasian Motorsport News) Mark, comments came out this morning about the GPDA. How hopeful are you that the three guys in the back row become a part of it, and the three guys in the back row, how important a role do you see the GPDA playing? Obviously, it’s your rookie year and you’ve got a lot to think about but is it something that’s preying on your mind?
MW: Sebastien is a member already. I don’t know about Nelson and Timo, I don’t think they are. I hope they will get involved, because everyone is benefiting from our work. We are not working ten hours a week, we’re working a few hours a week to constantly work with the FIA and Charlie (Whiting, FIA Race Director) and Max (Mosley, FIA President) to make sure that we keep evolving. Winter testing safety has gone absolutely fantastically, in terms of the medical response times, all those sort of things which was a complete disaster three years ago. All the equipment was not useful, so all the guys, irrespective of where they are in their career, are benefiting from the GPDA’s efforts and I hope that everyone is going to join and be a bit more unified together. We’ve got a meeting later on today. It’s going well, the GPDA. We’re working pretty hard but it’s not always straightforward for us. Obviously we are the guys behind the wheel and sometimes our voice is not that powerful. Sometimes it’s a bit disappointing but sometimes it’s heard, so we try and get the balance right and we try and move the sport forward. But it’s mainly safety, mainly safety obviously, but there are a few other little things which pop up which surprise us every now and again but that’s not down to who is a member, it’s just down to bigger decisions that get put through. We keep moving along slowly. It’s OK.

Q: (Mark Danby – Auto Magazine China) Just a comment from Mark and Giancarlo: the tyre compounds from last year, the soft and the hard, how do they compare?
MW: They’re actually the same as we used last year, so that’s how they compare.
GF: Same compounds as last year, and considering the track conditions, they are working quite well apart from the graining problem but here it’s an issue in Melbourne park. It’s going to be better on Sunday.

Q: (Mark Danby – Auto Magazine China) And the heat will affect that?
GF: Today was really hot. It doesn’t look a big problem for the tyres but physically it was very tough today, especially for myself because I am little bit ill. It was tough.

Q: (Mike Doodson) You guys are in the best place to judge your fellow drivers. Can each of you please nominate, who, apart from yourselves, you think will be World Champion at the end of this season?
MW: Kimi.
GF: Probably Kimi.
HK: No comment.
GF: Heikki, say Heikki.
TG: We have to wait and see how the first race goes. You never know who will be on the top but I don’t know at the moment. We will see after the first race or two and then we will see which direction it goes. I would say Nelson!
NP: I was going to say Timo.
TG: Kimi.
NP: I was going to say Kimi as well.
SB: Obviously we haven’t had the first qualifying yet, so it’s very blurry, but if you have to pick, obviously the guy who won the championship last year must be the favourite.

Q: Heikki, team mate or compatriot?
HK: Lewis.

Q: (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) I would like to ask the three guys who have raced in the Australian Grand Prix before, how sad would you be if this event was dropped as it might be, and what is it about this week, this race, this city, the ambience? What is it that you enjoy about this Grand Prix?
MW: I’ve answered this question before. Of course I would be disappointed if it left Australia. We started in Adelaide in ’85, I think, and we’ve had a Grand Prix in this country ever since, so it’s been a very very good run for us, to have the best drivers and teams to come down here for 22, 23 years or whatever it is, to compete. There are a lot of historic moments and special drivers that have come down here to race and we should really keep that in mind, and embrace it and try and work hard to try and continue to keep the event here, irrespective of whether there’s an Australian on the grid or whatever. I think it’s still good that we work hard to have it here. It’s a long way from Europe and it’s a long first flight for everybody to come in terms of logistics; it’s a hard first race of the year in terms of spares and parts and stuff to get everything here but I think once everyone gets here and everyone gets settled in, I think the facilities for you guys, for the photographers and drivers and everyone, it’s a very very good event. It’s a safe city as well, that’s always useful, because not all the cities that we go to are massively safe, so we can just go and relax and enjoy it. I think it’s one of the best countries – of course, I’m from here – but I hope there’s quite a few people that agree that it’s one of the best countries to come to, to compete in, and I hope we can continue to keep coming here.
GF: Yeah, I agree with Mark. I really like this country. There is a fantastic atmosphere around the town. I’ve got great memories of Melbourne, first of all my first race in 1996 and my winning race in 2005, so I’ve got a great feeling from the circuit, with the atmosphere in the town. There are very good restaurants around, so it would be nice to keep coming here in the future.
HK: For me it’s great, coming from Finland, I get a bit of sun tan over here at this time of the year. Otherwise I don’t mind where they start the season but this is a great country. I’ve always loved to come to Australia, so I hope we keep the race in Australia. Whether it’s at the start of the season or at the end of the season is no big deal to me.

Q: (Jerome Bourret – L’Equipe) Heikki, your new team had some bad moments last year. What was the atmosphere when you arrived there this winter? Did you feel any pressure, any disappointment in the team?
HK: No, I think everybody in our team wants to put last year behind them, they want to move on, and already in December, when I went to our technical centre for the first time, the past was already gone and when I was discussing with the engineers, everybody was only talking about the future, about this year, about the years to come, so I think it’s all finished for us. The team has cleared everything. This is really important for us and I think it’s important for Formula One. We’ve got to move on and this was the atmosphere already back in December and now it’s just getting strong and stronger, a good feeling.

Q: (Nick Sheridan – The Age) Mark, it’s obviously very hot today and it’s going to be very hot over the next couple of days. What kind of effect does that have on you physically and also technically on the car, over three days?
MW: I feel fine physically. I have a good headache today, I think that’s from the heat. When your head is very hot, you get a bit of a headache, but apart from that, I feel fine in the car. We have a fantastic water system in the car that’s like a kettle, about one hundred degrees, you might as well put a tea bag in it. We tested that today, so that’s good, you can burn your tongue. It’s really comfortable. Seriously, technically with the car it seems to be going… I haven’t spoken to any of the engineers since the last session because I pretty much got turned round to come straight up here, but as far as I’m aware, the car technically is capable of being pretty sound in these temperatures for the race. Obviously we’ve got hydraulics, brakes and lots of things which we have to keep in check in terms of the maximum temperature they get to but it’s testing, it’s testing for the car a little bit, and obviously as Giancarlo touched on, it’s not twenty degrees, it’s forty-odd today or whatever, 39 degrees, so it’s pretty extreme in the car but we’re ready for it. It’s fine.

Australia Grand Prix Press Conference

Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso attended Thursday’s opening press conference for the Australian GP weekend. Here are the questions reproduced from the FIA interview.Q: Fernando first of all. Back with Renault again. How different is it from the last time you were there?Fernando Alonso: Not very different. The technical group is exactly the same, most of the mechanics as well. Not very different to be honest.

Q: After last year do you think they have lost a little confidence?

FA: Maybe a little bit. Of course after winning two years in a row when I left in 2006 they were confident and they were believing in themselves a lot. Now for sure you know no good results last year, maybe a little bit lacking in confidence now but I think they know that were are able and they are able to do good things. They have nothing to prove to anybody, so it is just a matter of time and good work with everybody to put in a better place again.

Q: How much do you feel it is your job to pull them up and get them motivated again?

FA: I will try to do the best job we can. For sure coming back to Renault for me is a great challenge and for them too I think because they are extra motivated this year to have the success we have had in the past and I am extra motivated as well so we all have the same goal and the same target.

Q: What was the biggest difference initially in the cars without engine braking and without engine braking when you first experienced it?

FA: Less than I thought to be honest. The first time I test was in Jerez and I was expecting more problems than we had. Okay, in the long run you feel the drop in the tyres and you feel the loss of traction and the braking stability but nothing too big, similar with some times we had last year as well, so as I said not a big difficulty.

But it still does change circuit to circuit and at some circuits there is nearly no difference compared to last year and at some others it is a little bit more, so I imagine that every circuit will be different and maybe Monaco and places like this will be a big difference compared to last year. But we will see.

Q: Has development diminished the difference?

FA: Yes, all the teams are working in that direction to try and get the mechanical side and the aero side to what we lost in terms of electronics, so for sure with the set-up and all the other things around the car we are trying to deal with the loss of the electronics.

Q: And have you changed your driving style to compensate for that as well?

FA: Not really.

Q: Lewis, if I can come to you. First of all tell us about the kayaking yesterday.

Lewis Hamilton: It was cool. We had some fun.

Q: Give us a race report.

LH: Ok, well Heikki (Kovalainen) got off to a bit of a head start and he looked to be leading the race but he then took the wrong route. The only reason I was turning was someone was turning next to me and helped me turn and somehow I came out in the lead. It was good fun.

Q: Was it cold?

LH: Initially it was but then afterwards it was fine.

Q: Competitive?

LH: I am.

Q: How are you getting on with Heikki?

LH: Really well. Really well. He has settled into the team very well and he seems to be enjoying it. He has been playing tennis and he has been on the fitness trip recently and we seem to get on really well.

Q: Having him as a teammate the two of you have actually only got one year’s experience each. Has that been a problem so far and will it become a problem in the races do you think?

LH: It’s not been a problem and I don’t think it will be. He has got a great career under his belt already, lots of experience as have I. We are both coming into our second year in F1 and we both have the same hunger for winning and pushing the team forward. I think it is quite good that we are both aiming in the same direction.

Q: Is it a different preparation this year from last year?

LH: No. I think it is better. Better preparation. Last year I and my trainer were both rookies and we did the best job we could which was good but there were areas we could improve on and we have done.

Q: Tell us about the different emotions from a year ago to now. Was there a certain nervousness last year or eagerness? What is it now? Is there more pressure now?

LH: I don’t think there is more pressure, I think there is less pressure than last year. Last year there was a huge build-up and just a lot of weight hanging on my shoulders really because no-one really knew if I was going to do well or what. And neither did I really. It is a slightly different feeling.

I think I know even more now knowing what a season feels like. I am even hungrier and I feel even more determined and just more excited about racing. It has been too long a break. It really has seemed to drag along even though the race is a little bit earlier. It just seems forever since we raced last.

Q: Same question to you about traction control. The biggest difference initially in the cars and engine braking. How big was that difference?

LH: It was not really too much of a problem. As I said when they tried to introduce it I thought it was a good idea because all the other categories I have driven in we did not have traction control.

I am not going to say if I prefer one to the other because they are both quite different to drive but this one is a challenge and everyone is in the same boat. I think they have done a really good job in working with all the controls but I am sure we will keep on improving.

Q: And development has minimized that difference has it?

LH: It has definitely. So time wise I think you will see that we will all do similar times to when we had traction control.

Q: And driving style?

LH: The same.

Q: You haven’t changed it.

LH: No.

Q: Kimi, again a year ago it was your first Grand Prix for Ferrari. What’s the difference in feeling this year?

Kimi Raikkonen: For sure it is much easier to come now. It is different because I know the team, know the people, so … (inaudible) . Last year went very well for us. Now it should be easier as I know the team.

Q: But you are favourite for the championship this year already. Does that put pressure on you?

KR: No, but I think we have not even started the championship yet, so let’s see what happens. We will do the best job we can but for sure we expect to do well in our team. I think the two main teams seem to be a bit ahead of the others and four drivers, so anything can happen.

Q: And of course your teammate is relatively more experienced than the teammates of Lewis and Fernando but at the same time you are the most experienced pairing. How does that weigh up? What is the balance in advantages, disadvantages?

KR: I think we have a good team and a very good atmosphere and everything worked well last year, so I think it is going to be similar this year, so I don’t know if we are going to be in a stronger position than the other teams because we have more experience. I don’t think it is going to make much difference but like I said we should be in a good position but it is too early to say really.

Q: And same question about traction control. Was there a big difference in the cars initially?

KR: I think there was a big difference when we tried before Christmas for the first time with last year’s car. It was a lot more difficult but then with the new car we improved in the areas where it was less good and it helped a lot. Now with new tyres you do not feel the difference on the one lap whether you have traction control or not. I think when it is a difficult condition, wet or slippery, then it will be much more tricky but you don’t really notice.

Q: And have you changed your driving style at all to compensate for it?

KR: Not really, no.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) For Lewis, last year you always took time out to sign a few autographs, go to the front of the garage and wave to the crowd. Given that you are much more well-known now and that there are more demands on your time will you still do that or will it be more difficult?

LH: I plan to still do it. I did it this morning and I don’t particularly see why I should change. There has to be a limit otherwise it will go on forever but you just have to know when to say that’s enough but I am still planning to do the same.

Q: (Paulo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Question for the three of you. With the new rules do you think that the start is the main issue at the moment? We don’t exactly know how cars will react and you may lose or gain more positions.

KR: … (Inaudible) see at the moment much more chance to lose some places now. Before it was more or less automatic. You had a good start or not so good but it was always very close. Now it is up to you and if you make a mistake you are going to be very slow off the grid and you can gain but you can also lose. I think when it is wet conditions it is quite tricky to get a good start.

Q: (MC) Do the track conditions change a great deal, say between the pit-lane exit and the grid itself, especially the amount of grip you get? How much of a difference does that make? Do you know when you arrive on the grid how much grip you are going to get?

KR: It is always a bit different especially (inaudible) … At some circuits you have better grip on the exit of the pit-lane and at some it is the opposite. You get some idea when we do the warm-up but you just try to make a good start.

Q: (Oliver Holt – The Daily Mirror) Lewis, how disappointed are you that Fernando is not going to be in the team this year, and in what ways is it going to be different without him?

LH: I don’t feel there’s a huge difference. Heikki’s been welcomed into the team as Fernando was. Obviously it’s different; when you have a two-time World Champion, when you come into your first season and someone you’ve been watching for so many years, you come and you work against them – work with them – it’s a privilege. From that point of view, it’s a shame he’s not there but it’s a new challenge for me and Heikki. Having another guy in the team, you always learn something new from a different driver, so I’ve got that opportunity.

Q: (John McEvoy – The Daily Mail) Fernando, to turn it the other way around, how disappointed are you not to have Lewis as a teammate this year?

FA: Well, more or less the same answer. I have Nelsinho and for sure with new drivers you learn new things. It was the same last year. When I changed and I joined McLaren, Lewis was arriving in the team as well as in Formula One, so always giving fresh ideas and a fresh way to do things and you always learn from everybody. We are not together but we are still racing each other in different teams and with Heikki as well and Nelsinho, with the drivers who have been in Formula One for a long time, now new drivers are coming. Every year is a new challenge.

Q: (John McEvoy – The Daily Mail) A few days ago there were comments by Flavio Briatore – I don’t know whether you saw them, Fernando – saying that he believed that Lewis didn’t show you the respect that he should have done, as a double World Champion. What’s your response to that?

FA: I’ve no response to Flavio’s comment. Flavio will arrive tomorrow, you can ask him.

Q: (John McEvoy – The Daily Mail) Do you agree with him though?

FA: I didn’t see any of these comments.

Q: (John McEvoy – The Daily Mail) Do you believe Lewis did show you the respect he should have done?

FA: I don’t know. I will not answer this question because I never saw that in the paper, I didn’t speak with Flavio about this and I don’t know if it’s true or not. It’s just speculation or rumours about some destructive things before starting the first race so, nothing.

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) This is to all of you: It’s going to be very hot during this weekend and especially race day. How different will it be compared to long runs in testing if it’s 39 degrees or something?

LH: I think it’s going to be challenging. In most of the winter testing we did it was quite cool. Coming here, obviously the climate is quite a bit different, so I think it’s going to make it a bit harder on the tyres but easier to warm up and perhaps we will see more graining but I think everyone’s in the same boat. We just have to try and manage it as good as possible. It’s good preparation in this weather for next weekend.

KR: Nobody really knows how it’s going to run. We’ve got a little bit of an idea, it was a little hotter in Bahrain but it’s a completely different circuit, different tyres, so we will do the best that we can and tomorrow we have some idea. I think it should still be OK.

FA: Yeah, we’ll see, we’ll see because normally on a hot track it’s a little bit different, the long runs, the drop of the tyres always seems bigger than in the winter and we will see. We have the same tyres than last year here, but last year was much cooler, so maybe we don’t know how these tyres will work in this temperature on this circuit, so we will see tomorrow. It’s the same for everybody.

Q: (Marco Degl’Innocenti – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Fernando, today Ron Dennis said that he misses you and considers you a very great driver. Are you pleased about that?

FA: I really don’t care too much. It seems that Flavio speaks every week, now Ron as well. It’s all OK but it’s not very important to me at the moment. I’m very concentrated on this first race. We still have to do a lot of work on the car if we want to be competitive enough to fight for races, victories, so I really don’t care what people say.

Q: (Dan Knutson – National Speedsport News) Fernando, as you said, you have a lot of work to do. For the last three years you’ve had a car that could win races and championships. What does it do to your motivation now to have to take this step back?

FA: Yeah, we will see. I think we need to see where we are because it’s not so clear after the winter tests which are the best cars out there. It seems that, OK, Ferrari, McLaren and maybe BMW are very strong, as they were last year but there is Williams, Red Bull, Renault, Toyota.

At some tests, some of the teams look better; at the next test it’s the opposite, so I’m really looking forward to Saturday afternoon to see all the qualifying and see where we are. After that, we will see what we can do.

For sure the last three years, as you said, I started with maybe a more competitive car and ready to win races from the first Grand Prix. It seems that maybe that’s not the case this year but I will not give up. It’s a very long championship and there’s time to recover. I have full confidence in our possibilities.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado do Sao Paulo) The question is to all drivers: Even if this season didn’t start yet, everyone is discussing 2009 when we will probably have a severe limitation on budgets, probably forty percent of what the teams will spend this year. Do you agree with the way Formula One is going?

FA: I really don’t know. I’m not very interested in these rules or these budget cuts or whatever. I think if it’s the best thing and all the teams agree on this matter it’s because they think it is the best for our future. That’s all. I think from the driver’s point of view, as long as we have a car in our hands and we are able to drive and enjoy our racing, the rest is not very important.

KR: I don’t know anything about the whole thing, so I can’t really comment.

LH: Similar to what Fernando said. I think every year we face a change in the regulations and if that’s what they feel is the best way to go then we can do nothing about it, we just have to deal with it and as Fernando said, as long as we’ve got the car, as drivers, we don’t mind. We deal with it whatever you throw at us.

Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Kimi, do you think McLaren without Fernando is weaker than last year and it could be an advantage for Ferrari, or do you think that Lewis, even though he only has one year, has the experience now to make the car develop?

KR: I don’t know. For sure, I don’t see that Fernando is any quicker. He probably won’t have as good a car this year as he had last year. McLaren, I don’t know how good they are, it’s difficult to say from the winter, so we will see in the first two races.

I think there are a lot of people who know what they are doing, so I don’t see that there is any limit why they shouldn’t lose something, or not be able to make the car faster. It’s a big team, it’s one of the best teams, so I expect them to be strong and giving us a hard time.

Q: (Juha Paatalo – Financial Times Germany) There is not a lot that the driver can do from the time when the last winter test was over to the day racing starts here. How did you spend those days between and did you have any holidays?

LH: I left Switzerland and stopped in Hong Kong for two days and just did a little bit of shopping just to break up the trip – bit of sight-seeing. Then I went to Brisbane for a day as my trainer is from Brisbane, so we spent a day with his family. We had a barbecue and just relaxed and then I went to the Gold Coast. I did some training up there, it’s really good weather, like it is here, so running along the beaches, playing tennis and just having fun, and then I came here on Monday.

KR: I was at home, to see my friends and family, and then came here on Monday, that’s about it.

FA: Same thing. I was at home with family and came here on Monday.

Bridgestone To Mark Extreme Wet Tyres

Bridgestone have announced that they will mark extreme wet tyres during the 2008 Formula 1 season after recommendation from the FIA.

The move is designed to make it easier for spectators at the event and watching on tv to distinguish between the different tyres.

Bridgestone motorsport boss Hiroshi Yasukawa commented, “We hope this change will enable spectators of the sport to have a clearer understanding of the strategies used by all 11 Formula 1 teams when racing in the wet, Bridgestone is pleased to be able to play a part in increasing Formula 1 fans’ enjoyment of the sport.”

Formula 1 Racing 2007 Highlights

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/axWT1GPAGqk" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

This video shows the highlights of the 2007 formula 1 racing season. It includes battles between Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and the moment when Lewis beached his Mclaren on the gravel that ultimetly lost him the title. The 2007 f1 season was full of drama and was the best one for years, I just hope the 2008 season will be just as good and if not better!

Lewis Hamilton Dismissis Worries Over Dennis

There have been some reports that Ron Dennis is likely to step down as boss of Mclaren later on this week. There have also been rumours that Lewis Hamilton may be feeling slight unrest due to this rumour, would life be the same with Martin Whitmarsh as his boss?

Well it seems Lewis is taking this news in his stride and has pledged his future to Mclaren. He has said,

“If Ron wants to go then he must go,” the 23-year-old told German magazine Focus.

“My partnership with Mercedes-Benz is just as strong as my relationship with McLaren, so I am completely relaxed.” Well said Lewis, good luck with the new season from the team at formula 1 racing.

Bridgestone Announce New Tyres Line Up For 2008 Season

Bridgestone have announced the line up for the first seven races of the season. Here is a quick run down of the tyres that they will be taking to the races:

Australia – soft, medium
Malaysia – medium, hard
Bahrain – soft, medium
Spain – medium, hard
Turkey – medium, hard
Monaco – super-soft, soft
Canada – super-soft, soft
France – soft, medium
Britain – medium, hard

“Tyre allocation choice for the first half of the season has been made easier by the continuity of our tyres from last year,” explained Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone Motorsport’s director of motorsport tyre development. “We have made a minor evolutionary change to the construction of the dry tyres for safety and we have modified the super soft compound, but apart from that the tyres are the same.

“However, we should see faster lap times as teams and drivers now have a year’s experience with these tyres and the cars are being developed all the time. In the second half of the season we will have more of a challenge with tyre allocation as we visit two new street courses at Valencia and Singapore. These will be announced at a later date.”

Williams Launch New 2008 Livery And We Love It

The Williams formula 1 team have been testing in six different paint jobs since January and we have liked a lot of the designs. In fact we mentioned that we quite liked the darker livery a few weeks ago and wished that Williams would stick with a darker design for the actual race car.

Well it seems they have listened, here are some pictures of the hot new williams formula 1 car:

« Previous Page